1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for outputting a layout image including a predetermined object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, methods have been known in which photographs taken with a digital camera are used to produce a variety of products such as an album. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-217479 discusses an image layout method including selecting a template and an image of a target person, extracting the target person from an image database, and automatically laying out the image according to an attribute of each area of the template.
However, the image layout method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-217479 can only generate a layout image with a focus on the target person. Hence, the image layout method has a problem that variations of layout images that can be generated are limited. Furthermore, the image layout method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-217479 cannot generate a layout image that takes into consideration a relationship between the target person and other persons.